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Members of LSU ROTC's Pershing Rifles Delta 17 company perform on the Parade Ground on Veterans Day as part of Homecoming’s salute to LSU’s veterans.

Photos: Eddy Perez/LSU Communications & University Relations

LSU Honors Military Veterans with LSU Salutes

As the nation celebrates Veterans Day this week, LSU will honor its proud military heritage at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, with LSU Salutes, an annual celebration of the contributions of U.S. veterans sponsored by LSU and the Cadets of the Ole War Skule, at the LSU War Memorial on the Parade Ground. The event is free and open to the public.

Eleven distinguished alumni will be inducted into the military Hall of Honor as part of the LSU Salutes celebration. The inductees, all of whom must have attended LSU and served in the military, are selected based on their involvement with the university, as well as with the military and community. When the LSU Military Museum in the Memorial Tower is completed, the names of all those inducted into the Hall of Honor will be appropriately displayed as part of the permanent exhibition.

The LSU Corps of Cadets, consisting of LSU Army and Air Force ROTC students, and students in the Southern University Navel ROTC program participate in the annual LSU Salutes ceremony.

The LSU Salutes ceremony will include a military parade, static displays, a wreath laying and a 21-gun salute. The LSU Corps of Cadets, consisting of LSU Army and Air Force ROTC students, and students in the Southern University Naval ROTC program will participate in the ceremony. LSU Salutes recognizes all U.S. veterans and, in particular, those who attended LSU and served in ROTC. In addition to the ceremony at the LSU War Memorial, this year's Hall of Honor inductees will also be recognized during pregame activities for the LSU vs. Louisiana Tech football game at Tiger Stadium.

LSU's military history began almost 150 years ago with the opening of the university under Superintendent and Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman. Then called the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy and nicknamed the "Ole War Skule," the university, located in Pineville, endured two closings during the Civil War before being burned in 1869. After relocating from Pineville to Baton Rouge and taking on the name Louisiana State University, the institution continued to build on its military tradition while still retaining the "Ole War Skule" nickname.

Established as a land-grant institution in 1874 as part of the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862, which required all male students to receive basic military training, LSU required participation in the ROTC by all male students until 1969 when the Board of Supervisors made participation voluntary.

The university's military tradition was never more evident than during World War II. LSU boasted more officers on active duty than any other institution in the nation other than the military academies.

LSU and the Cadets of the Ole War Skule co-host annual events throughout the year including the Chancellor's Day Parade, the LSU Memorial Day Ceremony and LSU Salutes. These ceremonies help to preserve and honor the ideals and experiences from previous generations so that they can be passed along to future generations and offer a visible remembrance of the soldiers who have proudly served in America’s armed forces and given their lives to preserve our freedom.

Additional information about membership in the Cadets of the Ole War Skule or LSU Salutes is available by calling the Cadets of the Ole War Skule at 225-578-0420 or toll-free at 1-866-SALUTES.